ROCHESTER — James Foss will be remembered as someone who relentlessly gave back to his community.

United Insurance Manager Rob Caron remembers when United took over Rochester’s Foss and Came Insurance in 2010. Caron said when Foss was 86 years old, he continued to work for the company for several months, to ensure his clients were taken care of.

“A lot of the accounts he had were long-term accounts, and they were, for the most of them, personal friendships of his,” Caron recalled. “…He was still in failing health but he would still come in every day and make his phone calls and take care of his customers. I think he stayed on for about six months after the purchase.”

Foss, who died last Wednesday at the age of 88, has many accomplishments tacked to his name, not only that he was a committed insurance consultant.

Foss served as a cadet in the U.S. Army Air Corps. After his discharge, he purchased one of the Lilac City’s oldest insurance and real estate agencies in 1949. During his 60-year long career, Foss also devoted countless hours to the Rochester community as a city councilor and police commissioner as well as a member of the Greater Rochester Chamber of Commerce, City Industrial Development Committee and Zoning Board of Adjustments. He was also a former trustee and past president of Frisbie Memorial Hospital. After moving to Strafford, he served on the town’s Planning Board as well.

“He was just very involved throughout his career in the community,” Caron said. “He served on many boards and I just haven’t run across anyone here who didn’t know him and didn’t have wonderful things to say about him. He was very much liked and well respected in the community.”

Rochester resident Fred W. Hall, Jr. said he and Foss had been friends for more than 60 years. The two met in 1948 when Hall first moved to the area.

“He was a great person of integrity,” Hall said. “He believed in public service and served in the city of Rochester in various capacities over a long period of years. He was instrumental in bringing a couple of substantial businesses to Rochester when he was serving on the city’s development committee.”

Foss is credited during that time with bringing the businesses K.W. Thompson Tool Co. and Jarvis Cutting Tools Corp. to the Rochester.

“He was a very public-spirited person,” Hall added, noting they were both the last two surviving charter members of the Rochester Rotary Club.

Foss was a Paul Harris Fellow and in his obituary, a line jokes if he predeceased Hall, then “Fred wins.” Hall said sounded very much like his “dear friend’s” humor.

His nephew, Kip Howland, of Barrington, said Foss treated him as if he were his own son. He pointed to many of his uncle’s accomplishments as indicative of the care he gave to those around him and noted his uncle took him under his wing when he invited him to work at Foss & Came insurance 29 years ago.

“Jim had a special gift of insight and ability to communicate with his friends and business associates,” Howland said, “and empirically, I came away with a conversation with my uncle feeling better. He had a renowned wit, and he was just a special guy … He was a very special uncle to me and you know, I read the guest book (online) and a lot of those comments were so true.”

Foss was also a life member of the Rochester Elks Lodge, a past chairman of the Board of Directors of Profile Bank, a former director and secretary of Gafney Home for the Aged, a trustee of Rochester Cemetery Association and a life member of Rochester Masonic orders and Bektash Shrine.

Calling hours for Foss will be held today, Thursday, Jan. 10, from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the R.M. Edgerly Funeral Home, 86 South Main St., Rochester. Memorial services will be held Friday, Jan. 11 at 11 a.m. with visitation to be held one hour prior in the chapel of the funeral home.